The part that takes energy and effort is making the switch.
I’m really familiar with Linux. I’ve been using it on and off since the days of Slackware. My work computer was Linux-only for several years.
But, even with that, it took weird driver issues with my GPU, combined with the impending death of Windows 10, combined with the ridiculous heavy handed Copilot BS on Windows to finally convince me to switch my main desktop PC to Linux.
It was just the momentum that was so hard to overcome. I knew what worked in Windows, and I knew what didn’t. I had already found and installed all the programs I needed. My settings were all how I liked them. I knew the keyboard shortcuts. With Linux I didn’t know what would work or what wouldn’t. With Linux, there were a lot of things I’d need to install and set up, and I knew that was going to take some effort. But, worst were the unknown unknowns. I didn’t know what was going to cause me problems, and didn’t know if they were things I could resolve in a couple of hours or if they’d take weeks.
I’m glad I made the switch, and the overall maintenance load is much lower than it was in Windows. The frustration factor is 10x better. But, I did have to make a real effort to make the switch. There were a few weeks where it was pretty frustrating.
I hear you on the unknowns. I just picked up a new direct drive racing wheel, and I spent half the night trying to get it to work. The manufacturer doesn’t support Linux, so I have to use Boxflat. The wheel seems to work in there, but it doesn’t show up in my device list under Game Controllers and Steam doesn’t show it as a controller. However, after more research, it seems like that’s all normal and it’s probably the game itself not detecting the wheel due to it being plugged into a USB hub (which isn’t a Linux issue). Sometimes ime learning the OS is fine, and it’s the software that’s the issue. With Windows, it was easy to assume things were fine on the OS side, and it just comes from that familiarity.
The part that takes energy and effort is making the switch.
I’m really familiar with Linux. I’ve been using it on and off since the days of Slackware. My work computer was Linux-only for several years.
But, even with that, it took weird driver issues with my GPU, combined with the impending death of Windows 10, combined with the ridiculous heavy handed Copilot BS on Windows to finally convince me to switch my main desktop PC to Linux.
It was just the momentum that was so hard to overcome. I knew what worked in Windows, and I knew what didn’t. I had already found and installed all the programs I needed. My settings were all how I liked them. I knew the keyboard shortcuts. With Linux I didn’t know what would work or what wouldn’t. With Linux, there were a lot of things I’d need to install and set up, and I knew that was going to take some effort. But, worst were the unknown unknowns. I didn’t know what was going to cause me problems, and didn’t know if they were things I could resolve in a couple of hours or if they’d take weeks.
I’m glad I made the switch, and the overall maintenance load is much lower than it was in Windows. The frustration factor is 10x better. But, I did have to make a real effort to make the switch. There were a few weeks where it was pretty frustrating.
I hear you on the unknowns. I just picked up a new direct drive racing wheel, and I spent half the night trying to get it to work. The manufacturer doesn’t support Linux, so I have to use Boxflat. The wheel seems to work in there, but it doesn’t show up in my device list under Game Controllers and Steam doesn’t show it as a controller. However, after more research, it seems like that’s all normal and it’s probably the game itself not detecting the wheel due to it being plugged into a USB hub (which isn’t a Linux issue). Sometimes ime learning the OS is fine, and it’s the software that’s the issue. With Windows, it was easy to assume things were fine on the OS side, and it just comes from that familiarity.